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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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Land Theft and Destruction
Settlers build new outpost, assault old man and teen
A
number of Jewish settlers built a new settlement outpost in Jericho
district in protest over the Israeli government's decision to freeze
settlement activity in the West Bank for ten months.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
The Houses of Al-Quds: Ethnic Cleansing in East Jerusalem
In
Silwan, a neighborhood of East Jerusalem adjacent to the Old City,
Palestinian families sometimes demolish their own homes when the notice
comes because they can't afford to pay the fines levied upon people
after the army bulldozes their houses. Sometimes the eviction notice
gives them days, and other times a few hours to pull out several
generations' of possessions before the house is demolished. Sometimes
people are given 15 minutes to get out of their house before tear gas
is fired through the windows.
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/01/06/18634453.php
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment
Jamal Juma`s hearing today at Ofer
MC
- Indymedia - Jamal`s attorney, who did not have any access to the
report, as mentioned above, argued that the military court has no
jurisdiction over Jamal Juma`a, an east-Jerusalem resident holding an
Israeli ID card. This claim was not discussed, since the judge ruled
that it can only be done during the appeal. Jamal himself argued that
he was held for 12 whole days without being interrogated, and later
interrogated only once, which proves that there is no real need for
additional time to interrogate him.
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=37640
Imprisoned leader of Palestinian nonviolent resistance Abdallah Abu Rahmah: "Arrests and persecution do not weaken us"
Take a look at this inspiring message from Abdallah Abu Rahmah,
one of many Palestinian leaders of grassroots nonviolent resistance to
the Israeli occupation and apartheid being held in Israeli jail.
http://endtheoccupationblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/imprisoned-leader-of-palestinian.html
Al Jazeera English: Viva Palestina Convoy Arrives in Gaza
Al Jazeera Wed 6 Jan 2010 @ 2000GMT: Al Jazeera reports on
arrival of Viva Palestina Convoy, includes interview with George
Galloway and report on earlier fatal clashes at the Rafah border.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8v5tK8i5yI
Press TV: Viva Palestina Convoy Rafah Crossing Interviews
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2M3yUhk5eU&feature=player_embedded
Gaza Freedom March: detained at the US embassy
On
the afternoon of 28 December 2009, I was with several persons who
accompanied CODEPINK cofounder Jodie Evans to the US Embassy in Cairo
to present a letter from Massachusetts Senator John Kerry in which he
expressed "strong support" for citizens of his state who were traveling
to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and requesting they
be given "every courtesy." Ali Abunimah writes about being detained at
the US embassy in Cairo.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10993.shtml
Derry men reach Gaza with aid
Five men from Londonderry, who are part of an aid convoy to Gaza, have arrived over a month after they left the UK.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/foyle_and_west/8446074.stm
Boycott of Israeli settlers' products picks up speed
RAMALLAH
// Haytham Karasha was not overly concerned. The manager of a Ramallah
branch of the supermarket chain Bravo, he said his store had not
stocked any goods that originated in settlements for more than a year,
and even then it was only one item, a chocolate syrup.
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100107/FOREIGN/701069844/1002/NEWS
ISRAEL, GAZA: Holocaust survivor explains why she became Palestinian rights activist
Hedy Epstein is what some might see as a contradiction in terms: a survivor of the Holocaust and also a staunch advocate for the
Palestinian people. Born in 1924 in Freiburg, Germany, Epstein was 14
when she escaped from Nazi persecution via the Kinderstransport to England. Since her 1948 arrival in the U.S., Epstein has been an advocate for peace and human rights.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2010/01/israel-gaza-
holocaust-survivor-hedy-epstein-explains-why-she-became-palestinian-rights-activist.html
Take Action: Release the Anti-Apartheid Prisoners
In
recent weeks, Israel has engaged in a campaign of active repression
against leaders of grassroots nonviolent resistance to Israeli
occupation and apartheid. Anti-apartheid advocates and boycott,
divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaigners Jamal Juma', Adballah Abu
Rahmah, and Mohammad Othman have been arrested and are being held in
Israeli jail. Jamal and Mohammad are being held without charge, while
Abdallah has been slapped with a phony "weapons possession" charge for
collecting used tear gas canisters fired at weekly nonviolent protests
in the Palestinian village of Bil'in.
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/641/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1977
Engaging in the struggle – not with guns, but with culture
As
I continue my journey into the West Bank, I find examples of
Palestinian nonviolent resistance in the most unexpected of places. At
the Palestinian Heritage Center
in Bethlehem, I wander into a lushly decorated traditional living room,
floor to ceiling photos and artifacts, a furnished Bedouin tent, a
collection of priceless traditional wedding dresses, an exhibition
space for old artifacts and a gift shop. Posters attest to the many
awards the Center has received for its continuous efforts to revive
Palestinian heritage and to promote Palestinian culture., There is even
a picture of the Pope wearing a robe embroidered by Bethlehem women.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/01/engaging-in-the-struggle-not-with-guns-but-with-culture.html
Aggression and Violence
Another Palestinian dies after Tuesday's Israeli airstrike on Gaza
GAZA,
Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- One of the four injured Palestinian militants died
on Wednesday evening after he was critically injured during Tuesday's
Israeli airstrike on southern Gaza Strip, medics said. According to
witnesses, an Israeli drone on Tuesday evening fired a rocket on a
group of militants that was monitoring the security fence separating
between Israel and Khan Younis in southern Gaza Strip, killing one and
wounding four.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2010-01/07/content_12767408.htm
IDF distributes leaflets in Gaza
Several
hours after mortar barrage on southern Israel, Palestinians report Air
Force dropped flyers warning Strip's residents to stay away from border
fence, avoid cooperating with smugglers in underground tunnels.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3831111,00.html
Army Invades Bil’in, Soldiers Say “we Are Just Doing Our Job”
In
a rather familiar scene in the village of Bil’in near the central West
Bank city of Ramallah, Israeli troops invaded the village, once again,
and stormed the house of Rani Ayoub, a local peace activist. The
invasion comes one day after the army raided the village to kidnap some
children. The Friends of Freedom and Justice Committee in Bil’in,
reported that some 30 to 40 Israeli military jeeps invaded the village
before the soldiers broke the home of Ayoub and searched it.
http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=57563
Detainees
Hamas: PA seizes 10 members
Ma’an
– Hamas said on Thursday that Fatah-allied Palestinian Authority forces
seized 10 members of the Islamist movement from the West Bank., Ma'an
could not immediately verify these claims. Hamas identified the
detainees as the following:, Sheikh Wajih Qawwas and Ahmad Nazzal, in
Qalqiliya, Abbas Ja’ara in Nablus, Bara’ Yousif, a student, in
Ramallah, Bilal Salim in Hebron, Sabia Ayyash in Salfit, Sheikh
Muhammad Awad Al-Jammal, Muhammad Abu Al-Hayja, Zuheir Musa and Omar
Abu Ar-Rab in Jenin.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=252550
Nine detained in night raids
Bethlehem
– Ma’an – The Israeli military said on Thursday it detained nine
Palestinians during overnight operations in the West Bank. A military
official told Ma’an that one Palestinian was taken from Azzun Atma near
Qalqiliya, one from Kobar north of Ramallah, four from Masra
Al-Qibiliya north of Ramallah and three from Al-Arrub Refugee Camp
north of Hebron.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=252542
Egypt's war against Gazans
Al Jazeera: Clashes on Gaza-Egypt Rafah border
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o75D299ctuc&feature=player_embedded
35 Palestinians wounded by Egyptian security forces near Salahuddin terminal
Palestinian
medical sources have reported that 35 Palestinian citizens were wounded
by Egyptian gunfire Wednesday evening when dozens of them rallied near
Salahuddin terminal in Rafah area.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Ashaal: Egypt’s steel wall is a crime against humanity
Dr.
Abdullah Al-Ashaal, a former assistant to the Egyptian foreign
minister, stated that the steel wall built by Egypt is a crime against
humanity and violates international law.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Hundreds Protest In Front Of Egypt’s EmbassyHundreds
of Turkish citizens and activists held a protest on Tuesday evening in
front of the Egyptian Embassy in the Turkish capital, Ankara. The human
rights activists, including parliamentarians, protested until dawn
hours of Wednesday.
http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=57561
Terror is the price of support for despots and dictators | Seumas Milne
If
an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor had gone on hunger strike in support
of a besieged people in another part of the world, and hundreds of
mostly western protesters had been stoned and beaten by police, you can
be sure we'd have heard all about it. But because that is what's been
happening in western-backed Egypt, rather than Iran, and the people the
protesters are supporting are the Palestinians of Gaza instead of, say,
Tibetans, most people in Europe and north America know nothing about it.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/07/egypt-gaza-strip-viva-palestinaAbbas Applauds Mubarak's Actions
ANKARA,
Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday
praised Egypt's peace efforts in the Middle East, Turkish media
reported, as tensions mounted on the borders between Egypt and the
Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2010-01/07/content_12767403.htm
Fatah slams Hamas for its protests against Egypt
RAMALLAH,
Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Fatah slammed on Wednesday Islamic Hamas movement
for its earlier protests against Egypt. Osama al-Qawasmeh, Fatah
spokesman in the West Bank, said in a press statement that earlier
Hamas protests against Egypt near the borders "are a provocation and
bad use of Gaza people's suffering."
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2010-01/07/content_12767404.htm
Israeli Racism/Human Rights/Siege
Knesset rejects bill for equal Arab-Jewish land distribution
The
Knesset on Wednesday rejected by a majority vote a bill proposed by
Israeli Arab MK Ahmed Tibi (Ra'am Ta'al) which would enforce equal
distribution of land between Jewish and Arab citizens. Before it was
brought to Knesset, the bill had already been rejected Sunday by the
Ministerial Committee for Legislation. Tibi's proposal was intended to
counter a bill passed two weeks ago which states that reception
committees of Israeli communities can decide who will reside in their
towns. One consequence of that bill is that Israeli Arabs would not be
able to live in those towns if the reception committees decide so. On
Sunday, Tibi lambasted the ministerial panel as proving that Israel had
proven "yet again" that it preferred to "avoid the principle of civil
equality."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1140380.html
The state of human rights in Israel/Palestine
The
recognition of and respect for human rights are the bedrock of any
substantive democracy. Yet, according to the Association for Civil
Rights in Israel (ACRI)’s State of Human Rights Report 2009,
they are being applied in a discriminatory manner. The Report,
published in December 2009, detailed what Haaretz said was a country in
which human rights were ‘on probation’. The Report cited internal
Israeli discriminatory policies and cataloged systematic human rights
abuses in the Israeli occupied Gaza Strip and West Bank.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/01/the-conditionality-of-human-rights-in-israel-and-palestine.html
Israel prevents 19 sight-impaired Gazans from leaving for cornea implants
Physicians
for Human Rights reports that the Israeli authorities prevented 19
sight-impaired Palestinians from leaving Gaza in time for cornea
implants at a Ramallah hospital. The delay rendered the corneas, which
were harvested from organ donors, useless. They were subsequently
thrown away. The Gazans need permission from Israeli authorities to
cross Israel in order to enter the West Bank.
http://palestinenote.com/cs/blogs/news/archive/2010/01/07/
israel-prevents-dozens-of-sight-impaired-palestinians-from-leaving-for-cornea-implants.aspx
Israeli War Crimes/Criminals and their Enablers
A year after losing a father and sons, a Gaza family copes
Fathiya
Abu Jbara lost her husband and two sons in an Israeli air strike on the
family home during Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip last winter. The
Electronic Intifada correspondent Rami Almeghari reported on the strike
a few days after the attack and one year later, visits the family again
to see how they are coping.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10990.shtml
Gaza Children Fly Balloons Carrying Pictures Of Slain Family Members
Dozens
of children in the Gaza Strip launched balloons carrying the pictures
of their parent and family members who were killed by the Israeli army
during Israel’s illegal war against the coastal region one year ago.
http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=57562
Political Developments
Palestinian official denies secret meeting between Abbas, Barak
RAMALLAH,
Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian official on Thursday denied reports
that President Mahmoud Abbas has held an undercover meeting with
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. All these reports "aim to tell
that there is an ongoing political process and that the Palestinian
stance is divided into an open one and a secret one," Yasser Abed
Rabbo, an aide to Abbas, told Voice of Palestine radio.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2010-01/07/content_12772321.htm
Bahar: All conspiracies aimed to blackmail Gaza people will fail
Dr.
Ahmed Bahar stressed that all conspiracies that are aimed to undermine
the steadfastness of Gaza people and blackmail them into making
concessions would fail.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Other News
Injuries reported after explosion in Gaza
Several Palestinians were reportedly hurt in an explosion at a coffee
shop in Gaza City on Wednesday evening., Residents reported hearing a
blast at the "Tal Al-Qamar" cafe on the ground floor of a 10-story
apartment building in the An-Nasser neighborhood of Gaza City.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=252483
Report: Israeli troops training for new Gaza war
Bethlehem
– Ma’an – Israeli forces completed a large-scale military drill in the
Negev, the country's Channel 10 news reported, preparing troops for a
military offensive against the Gaza Strip. The report, aired Tuesday
evening, speculated that the training could even be seen as preparation
for a re-occupation of the area.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=252463
Israel successfully tests anti-rocket system (AFP)
AFP
- Israel has completed tests on its Iron Dome anti-missile system,
designed to provide a response to the thousands of rockets fired at
Israel by Hamas and Hezbollah, the defence ministry said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100106/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictisraelrocketdefense
Survey: Israel has ‘severe’ image problem
JERUSALEM
(JTA) -- Most Israelis believe Israel has a severe image problem around
the world and want to help fix it, a survey found. Results of the
survey of 495 Jewish Israelis conducted for the Information and
Diaspora Ministry were released Wednesday. Some 91 percent of
respondents said that Israel has a "severe" or "very severe" image
problem in the Diaspora. Ninety percent said that Israel is viewed by
those outside of the Jewish state as a country that "suffers of terror
and war." Another 80 percent said Israel is looked upon as an
"aggressive country."
http://jta.org/news/article/2010/01/06/1010033/survey-israel-has-severe-image-problem
Protests mark start of Orthodox Christmas in Bethlehem (AFP)
AFP
- Orthodox Christmas celebrations kicked off in the traditional
birthplace of Jesus on Wednesday to the sound of bagpipes and protests
by Palestinians accusing church leaders of selling land to Israelis.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100106/wl_mideast_afp/mideastreligionorthodoxchristmas
Analysis/Op-ed/Human Interest
Teacher of a lifetime
Gideon
Levy - Haaretz - Cohen told his students about the occupation. He told
them that you can`t brutally crush values the way Israel has been doing
for 42 years and say we are educating for democracy. He asked them
whether they would be willing to live under an occupation. He told them
he does not justify terror but understands what leads to attacks. He
called on educators to tell students that the occupation is cursed and
called on students to serve in an army that protects security, not an
army busy with the occupation.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1140873.html
2009: Some Arabs, Some Jews, By BOUTHAINA SHAABAN
2009
closed with unusual headlines of the press on what is called the Arab –
Israeli conflict, headlines which warrant careful thinking because they
might imply changing the name of this conflict as a result of the
changes which happened to its nature and the parties involved in it.
The Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth published an article (28/12/ 2009)
titled “Holocaust survivor stages hunger strike for Gaza”. The article
explained how 85 year old Jewish American activist Hedy Epstein and
other grandmothers started a hunger strike in Cairo on Monday, December
28 protesting that Arabs have prevented their convoy going to Gaza from
proceeding there to mark the first anniversary of the Arab civilian
victims of the Israeli war on Gaza called Cast Lead.
http://www.counterpunch.org/shaaban01062010.html
Boycotting the Occupation
Joharah
Baker - MIFTAH - Palestinians in the occupied territories are under so
many pressures, it is almost unfair to ask them to completely boycott
Israeli products, especially since their foreign alternative is so much
more expensive. The most that can be asked of them is to look for a
suitable Palestinian alternative such as Juneidi dairy products, made
in Hebron. For those living abroad there is really no excuse for buying
any kind of Israeli products, originating from settlements or
otherwise. There are enough alternatives for them to choose from.
However, even Palestinians here are morally obligated to draw an
indelible line where settlements are concerned. For one, we would be
literally shooting ourselves in the foot if we help to finance the
maintenance of settlements on Palestinian land. Secondly, that same
foot will not give us anything to stand on in terms of demanding that
others boycott settlements.
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=37632
Iraq
Anti-terror chief among seven killed in Iraq blasts (AFP)
AFP
- Coordinated bombings early on Thursday shattered the homes of four
police officers in the western Iraqi town of Heet, killing seven people
including the town's anti-terror chief, an official said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100107/wl_afp/iraqunrest
Wednesday: 9 Iraqis Killed, 18 Wounded
As
Iraq celebrated Army Day, which honors the founding of the country’s
army 89 years ago, at least nine Iraqis were killed and 18 more were
wounded in several incidents. One U.S. soldier died from combat-related
injuries while on patrol in Baghdad as well. In the U.K., testimony at
the Iraq Inquiry continued. Also, U.S. Sen. John McCain is in Iraq.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/01/06/wednesday-8-iraqis-killed-14-wounded/
Tuesday: 2 Iraqis Killed
Only
two Iraqis were killed in an unusually light day of violence.
Meanwhile, the Iraq government has freed the leader of Asa’ib al-Haq or
the League of the Righteous. Qais al-Khazali, the leader of Asa’ib
al-Haq, was ostensibly released as part of a loose deal that allowed
British hostage Peter Moore to return to freedom.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/01/06/tuesday-2-iraqis-killed/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+antiwar-original+(Antiwar.com+Original+Articles)
Talabani reproaches Saudi cleric insulting statements
Iraqi
President Jalal Talabani sent a letter to Saudi King Abdullah Ben Abdul
Aziz denouncing insulting statements against Shiites in Iraq sparking
flames in the country. The Iraqi President described the remarks
against Grand Ayatollah Ayatollah Sistani as “painful and bitter”.
http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News/1-42800-
Talabani-reproaches-Saudi-cleric-insulting-statements.html
Devout Shia in Awe at Lunar Eclipse
Shia faithful see divine significance as eclipse falls in holy month. By Abeer Mohammed in Baghdad (ICR No. 318, 06-Jan-10)
http://www.iwpr.net/EN-icr-f-358751
U.S. and other world news
NYT says Jordanian bomber was triggered by Gaza
Blowback: The Times has a fine report on Human Khalil abu Mulal al-Balawi, the
Jordanian doctor who killed 7 CIA agents in Afghanistan, that
relates his rage over the Gaza massacres. More evidence of the absence
of official accountability. Unless and until the U.S. acknowledges the
merits of the Goldstone report, there will, alas, continue to be
violent outbursts of this character.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/01/
times-report-on-jordanian-mass-murderer-suggests-3rd-intifada-may-be-global.html
Yemen opposes U.S., Western intervention in Al-Qaida fight
Yemen's
foreign minister said Wednesday that his country opposes any direct
intervention by U.S. or other foreign troops in the fight against
Al-Qaida.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1140389.html
European rabbis call new airports scanners 'immodest'
The
use of body scanners in airports would violate the rights of Religious
Jewish women whose modesty would be compromised by the scan, the
Rabbinical Center of Europe warned on Wednesday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1140410.html
Police disperse Copts protesting fatal Egypt shooting
* Seven people killed in drive-by shooting on Christians
* Priest calls killing sectarian, blames poor security
* Ministry says Muslim man suspected of revenge attack
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE60611R.htm
After Pharaoh
Hosni
Mubarak's death -- or worse, his failure to give up power -- could
throw the largest country in the Arab world into chaos.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/01/04/after_pharaoh |
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